Mending a Shattered Heart
The bright, noonday sun towered over the limestone buildings of Aderu. People were back in the streets, now that the morning rain had passed over, bartering, selling, and buying. The city thrived on the money traders and travelers that were passing through the city brought to the economy. Exotic jewelry from the east were brought to the city in exchange for furniture that the easterners so loved. There was hardly anything happening that was out of the ordinary. Even the guards were falling back into their usual routine of chasing the members of the thieves' guild through the streets while shouting the occasional obscenity.
Exploding around the corner, Raenef, with his blonde hair whipping wildly in the wind despite the bandanna that held most of it back, sprinted down the busy street. Every so often, he'd slip between people, slide under moving carts, and jump over anything in his way. Close behind him were three of the city's finest guards; with their halberds in hand, they rushed after Raenef, and at the same time, knocked over people they couldn't pass and broke open barrels of wine that were sitting on the side of the street, waiting to be sold. Finally, at one of the intersections, the head guard ordered the two others to split up and they would corner him at the next dead end.
Sprinting down the street, the blonde headed thief still in sight, the head of the guard used all of his agility to slip between people and catch up on the thief. His chest heaved with his heavy, labored breaths and the muscles in his waist and thighs began to ache from the workout he was receiving. Ever since Raenef had left, there had been little challenge to chasing off the thieves. Most of them preferred to slip out of sight and hide before the chase wore them out, but it seemed that Raenef enjoyed taking them on a long, vigorous run before somehow vanishing without leaving so much as a clue as to where he had gone. It was beyond the guard as to how the slender boy he was chasing could run so fast and for so long. However, as he ran, he watched as the dead end to the street approached ever closer. Smirking to himself, he thought, We've got you now, boy.
Skidding to a halt, he stared in awe as the two other guards flanked him from the right and the left. The trio stood, utterly dumbfounded, in front of a stone wall that kept intruder's out of the property owner's small courtyard. There was no way the small thief, with a weighty leather bag of gold, could have scaled the wall without them noticing it, or if he had been able to climb it, he wouldn't have had time to reach the top before they got to him. Anxiously, they glanced around, wondering if he had slipped through them some how. A flash of blonde hair underneath a brown cloak caught their eyes and they were off again. However, as they would find out, the blonde hair belonged to a rather bad tempered tomboy who beat them off with her walking stick.
A couple minutes later, in a small alleyway off of the main street, Kei and Raenef collapsed on the ground with laughter exploding from their lips. The duo had worked together since the day that Raenef had healed from his injury enough to return to his old duty of catching the guard's attention to distract them from the activities of the other thieves who couldn't run as fast as he could for such a long distance. Oddly enough, the two made a rather good pair.
Shaking his head, Raenef giggled, "Did you see their faces! They were just like, uhh." Kei nodded vigorously and elbowed him playfully in his ribs, "Yep, you sure gave those melon heads the slip."
"They had melons on their heads?" Raenef asked, his eyes wide with interest.
The dirty blonde stared at the demon with faint disbelief as to how ditzy he could be. Shaking his head, Kei smiled and chuckled lightly as he snickered, "You know, that trick really works."
"You mean the one where you lean over the wall and pull me up before they can see us? Or are you talking about the one thing with your..." Kei slapped a hand over Raenef's mouth before he could blurt out the next few words.
"Hush, blabber mouth. Not that trick..." Kei said, rubbing the back of his head with embarrassment. "We make a good team, huh?"
Raenef nodded his head enthusiastically before tossing the bag of gold coins to Kei who pulled it open to see how much Raenef had gotten away with. When the coins fell into his open hands, the thief gasped and glanced over to the demon who was cheerfully humming the Mr. Tomato song to himself. With his brow furrowed faintly, Kei recounted the gold coins at least twice before staring at the wall across from him, confused and bewildered. Looking to Raenef, with a jealous stare that was meant to kill, Kei tackled the younger boy and wrestled with him until he had Raenef pinned beneath him.
"How did you get that much gold, bubblehead?" Kei asked, his face close to Raenef's.
For a moment, cute, innocent Raenef was about to blurt out the simple answer; however, suddenly, he became acutely aware of how close Kei was to him. A small flush of red fluttered into his fair cheeks before he struggled to get from underneath the older, and stronger, boy. Despite the young demon's attempts, Kei held both of Raenef's hands above his head with only one of his hands.
"C'mon, what's your secret? No one carries that much gold on them at once," Kei teased, tickling underneath Raenef's arms.
Squirming around, the demon thief cried out, "I stole it from the city counselor! He had six guards on me at first! Happy?"
Kei smiled and, rising, nodded, "Yep."
Turning over onto his stomach, Raenef giggled and pushed himself onto his feet. Looking at the bustling crowd, he smiled as he remembered the first time he saw Eclipse wandering through the streets, his long hair flowing down his back. The demon sighed as he realized he had forgotten how beautiful Eclipse was. Abruptly, that train of thought came to a dead halt as he frowned. Why am I still thinking about him? He's probably forgotten all about me. It's been over a month now... and I'm already missing him.
Kei's commanding tug on the back of his collar told him that it was time for them to get back to the inn before the guards found them. Once they had returned to the inn, they would all count up their total earnings for the month and the thief with the lowest amount of gold would have to pay the inn bill; usually, that caused each of the thieves to work even harder so that they wouldn't have to spend their hard earned wealth on the inn tab. Half of the gold went to Nato for the property he was going to buy and the other half was for the thief to spend, or hoard, at whim. After the counting, lunch would be served and the rest of the day was spent in leisure or the occasional stealing if one wanted to get a head start on the new month.
Raenef was rather excited about that particular counting session. The guild was saving up so that they could eventually buy a large piece of property and open it up their own inn before gradually expanding it into a school of sorts. It was only the beginning to what was another plan to own the entire city. Kei had come up with the plan in the first place, so Raenef was sure that it would work. It seemed like it would work.
I wish I could come up with smart plans like Kei. I feel so slow compared to everyone else, the demon thought to himself sadly as he trailed behind the other thief. But at least Kei got Nato to accept me back into the guild. Only thing is I can't use any of my spells... and I can't ever see Eclipse again. I don't want to get Kei into trouble, either. I wish I could see Eclipse again... and maybe prove to him that I'm not a complete ditz like I seem to be, Raenef thought sadly before frowning. Why am I so eager to have him take me back? I have Kei and the guild now. I don't need anything else... or do I?
His thoughts ended when they crossed the busy street to the Silverton Inn. Raenef looked up at the roof of the two story building longingly. Once night rolled around, he'd probably end up begging Kei to take him up onto the roof so that they could wish on stars. The demon had missed such leisurely activities since he had left the guild. Eclipse had made him study until dinnertime and then almost immediately afterwards, if Raenef wasn't studying, he made the young demon go to bed. However, no amount of studying ever helped Raenef pass his tests. He could barely use the most simplest of spells, Dark Arrow.
Upon entering the inn, Raenef wasn't surprised to see that it was practically empty. Hardly any customers were in the inn during the day since they were either sleeping or out buying and trading. When night rolled around, however, the inn was filled to the brim with thieves, the occasional, suspicious guard, and fresh customers that wanted a room for the night; with fresh customers, however, came fresh meat to steal from. Night time was the prime time for many of the thieves to steal in the inn. Gambling was especially popular among the guild members for many of them had mastered the trade.
Raenef had always loved to watch the other guild members when they were gambling. Cards would be dealt and bets would be made early in the game. The quick flashing of cards, the rapid exchange of money, and all the chattering that went on between the players dazzled Raenef. He could barely keep up with the game from an external view, let alone actually be one of the players. Kei had tried to teach him how to play some of the games, but no matter how hard he tried, he always screwed up the game. Eventually, Raenef gave up on trying to learn how to play the games and resorted to just watching; with the occasional pick pocketing.
Ascending the stairs that led up to the inn rooms, Kei and Raenef entered room number thirteen, which was Nato's private chambers; it was also the largest room that the inn had to offer. Nato and several of the other guild members were sitting in a circle with their earnings counted out in front of them. The master thief watched Raenef enter the room with scrutinizing eyes and continued to eye him as he sat down and poured all of his month's earnings out on the floor from various leather bags that had been attached to his waist. Even Kei, who had been helping Raenef during most of his stealing escapades, was amazed at how much gold piled up in front of the demon.
When counted up, the master thief stared at Raenef with a new found respect and faint awe. Raenef had gathered the second most gold in the entire guild; he was bested only by Nato himself, who had spent long, laborious hours sifting through the town's inns and taverns for unsuspecting travelers that flaunted their wealth all too proudly. As for the rest of the thieves, they had all done rather well, especially Kei. As was the custom, however, the thief with the lowest gold had to pay the inn tab, and it had turned out to be Kei's old roommate, Jace.
Congratulations were passed between the thieves, and even a few guild members who had been a bit skittish around Raenef ever since he had returned to the guild had come up to him and patted him on the back for doing such a good job. For once, Raenef felt accepted and appreciated for the things that he had done. To be congratulated for actually doing something right meant the world to Raenef. When Nato himself approached the blonde headed demon and slapped him on the back for a job well done, Raenef couldn't help but glomp the master thief and repetitively thank him for being so nice.
When Kei finally managed to pry the boy from Nato, the two slipped out of the room and headed downstairs to buy lunch. They both decided on a bowl of soup and a small side of vegetables for lunch. All throughout their lunch, the two talked about what it would be like to own their own tavern and not worry about having to steal in order to live.
As Raenef finished gulping down his soup, Kei poked at his vegetables thoughtfully. Looking up at the ravenous demon, Kei inquired, "So... are you staying here permanently or until you make up with the other demon."
Raenef blinked and shrugged, "I dunno. Probably until he apologizes, yep." He said, nodding.
"Oh," Kei said as he plopped a carrot slice into his mouth and chewed it slowly. Raenef, in all of his naivety, didn't notice the melancholy tone that Kei was using. Instead, the demon was busy playing with his vegetables and giving them little voices.
The thief didn't bother to bring up what was on his mind. He had already talked to Raenef about his personal feelings somewhat, but they had been, as he knew they would be, rejected. The young boy was still at edge about the idea of a heterosexual relationship, let alone a same sex relationship. However, despite the demon's unease with homosexuality, Kei didn't give up on his hope that he could someday have his feelings for Raenef returned.
When they had finished their lunch, the two went out walking in the city. A whole new month of stealing had started, but for the time being, Kei and Raenef took a break from stealing and wandered through the streets. Ware prices were being tossed back and forth between sellers and buyers and money quickly exchanged hands as items were bought and sold. Citizens went about their lives, buying food, working in their shops, and enjoying a bath with friends at the local Natatorium. The entire city buzzed with life during the day and its streets were filled to the brim with traders and locals.
The night life was entirely different, however. The streets emptied out and candle boys walked through the streets lighting their lamp posts. Only ruffians were out at night; them or those who could defend themselves very well. Even the main streets, which were lightly armed with guards, were a risk to travel during the dark hours. However, despite all this, Kei and Raenef still wandered the streets.
The older thief had Raenef's hand in his and was leading the young demon through the maze of buildings and alleys. Their shadowy forms exploded through the cones of yellow candle light as they ran down the streets and cut through alleys. A white blindfold was tied around Raenef's head so that it covered his emerald eyes. His blonde hair whipped around his forehead as he stumbled after Kei, who had promised him a grand surprise at the end of their little journey.
Reaching his destination, Kei guided Raenef up a ladder that was placed against an old, abandoned building near the very edge of the city. The demon, full of giggles, slowly, and cautiously, climbed the ladder until he reached the flat roof. Kei was right behind him. The thief chuckled to himself and then untied the blindfold that had been covering Raenef's eyes. Two pale hands came up to Raenef's open mouth to hold back a joyous gasp.
After throwing himself onto Kei and giving him a large hug, Raenef ran to the edge of the building and looked out across the city. A midnight blue sky was filled with tiny white beacons that shimmered against the dark sea that held them within its infinite depths. The bright candle lights glowed throughout the streets of the city as though attempting to be a mirror to the sky above it. A waning gibbous moon shone its pale rays of light across the lands as it slowly descended towards the horizon with the coming of the new moon.
Bouncing up and down with joy, Raenef squealed with delight, "It's beautiful, Kei! Even better then our old spot!"
Nodding slowly, he strode next to his friend and whispered, "Make a wish, Raenef."
"A wish?" he mused to himself then shrugged. "I don't think I need to make a wish anymore."
Taken aback, Kei inquired, "Why? You always loved to make wishes on the stars, Rae."
Sitting at the edge of the building with his legs hanging over the side, Raenef said, "I just don't need to. I used to want to be rich and stuff, but when I actually had it all, I wasn't happy . . . with how it turned out."
Taking a seat next to the demon, the older thief said, "You mean with Eclipse?"
He nodded slowly and let out a saturnine sigh, "I think I loved him, Kei, but I don't' think he loved me at all. All he cared about was making me a demon lord."
Kei bowed his head and looked down at the alley beneath them. A few vagrant thieves lounged comfortably on their turf while they waited for a lost, drunk, or unsuspecting traveler to stumble across them. Clasping his hands together, he looked to Raenef who was staring up at the stars. A few crystal tears had gathered at the edges of his eyes before falling down his tender cheeks.
"Hey, don't cry," Kei said. "You're here now. And," he broke off. "I care about you. I really want you to stay, Rae. I don't want you to go back. Stay with me, please?"
Raenef didn't respond as a few more tears fluttered down the sides of his faces. Throwing his arms around Kei, he barely was able to talk between sobs, "I dunno, Kei. You know the guild rules. What if they catch us? I don't want loose anyone else that I care about."
Running his fingers through Raenef's hair, he smiled down at the thief, "Don't worry, nothing bad will happen. It'll be our secret, and at the end of the month, after we've stolen all that we need, we'll leave the guild. We'll go somewhere else and we won't have to steal anymore."
Giggling and wiping his tears away with the back of his hand, the demon inquired gently, "Seriously? We won't have to steal? Or kill people?"
His eyes were wide with innocence and hope. Laughing and ruffling Raenef's hair, Kei replied, "No killing people. No being a demon lord, no Nato, no anything or anyone except for us."
Throughout the night, they watched the midnight blue sky turn dark black before it began to fade. Finally, as the stars began to lighten with the coming of early morning, the two rose and began to head towards the ladder when Kei grabbed Raenef around the waist and tugged him close for a passionate, but yielding kiss. The demon didn't deny the thief what he sought, but rather, found his hands griping Kei's waist as he kept himself from falling over. The sensation that ran through his body was something that he had never known, but it was a feeling he rather enjoyed. When the older thief tried to pull away, Raenef jumped onto him and, wrapping his arms around Kei's neck, stole a deep kiss that lasted but a few seconds before they were climbing down the ladder.
No one, not even Nato, thought to question them as they entered the inn, laughing and shoving each other playfully. Kei had already made it quite clear that he would keep Raenef out of trouble and that was all that Nato really needed to worry about. However, he watched them with faintly suspicious eyes as they rushed upstairs and entered their room. Despite their odd behavior, Nato shrugged and went about his business. As long as they were staying out of serious trouble and stealing their share, it wasn't really his concern what they did in their free time or when they slept or stole.
After closing the navy blue window curtains to keep out the sun, Raenef and Kei changed into their 'night' wear and crawled underneath the light blue bed covers. The demon nestled into the Kei's strong arms, which were firmly wrapped around Raenef's waist. There was a mutual contentment that the two shared as they curled up underneath the light sheets and fell asleep.
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